The United States Supreme Court in a 5-4 vote Monday, January 27 cleared the way for the Trump administration to make it more difficult for low-income immigrants seeking to come to or trying to remain legally in the U.S., CNN reports.

The so-called public charge rule, unveiled in August, impacts people who rely on public assistance, including most forms of Medicaid, food stamps and housing vouchers.

Monday's vote split along ideological lines, with the five conservative justices in the majority.

The order was also issued while Chief Justice John Roberts was presiding over the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump in the US Senate across the street from the Supreme Court.

The Trump administration's immigration policies have repeatedly met with legal challenges, resulting, in some cases, in lower courts blocking the policies from taking effect across the country, as happened with the public charge rule.

Monday's order means the rule can go into effect in every state, pending appeal, except for Illinois which is covered by a separate injunction.

The rule will affect people who are trying to obtain lawful permanent status, otherwise known as a green card. To that end, the rule has the potential to reshape legal immigration by limiting access to green cards for lower-income immigrants.